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Imperium Offtopicum V
|Owen Glyndwr }} | run = 1–18 August 2010 | turns = 3 | genre = Renaissance | setting = | events = Religious mega-alliances Assassination of Pope Innocent XI | link = Game thread Off-topic thread }} Imperium Offtopicum V: "Because historical accuracy be damned" was the fifth official installment of Imperium Offtopicum, and sixth thread counting Europe's Burning. It was the first collaboratively-run game, managed by Joecoolyo, civplayah, CivGeneral, taillesskangaru, Cull and Owen Glyndwr. It was the second game to use a non-contemporary setting, beginning in 1453 with an eye toward social and technological evolution. Designed based on player consensus from experience in Imperium Offtopicum IV, it was the first concerted attempt to professionalize the game, and its stats-oriented structure became the basis for almost all subsequent threads. However, it ultimately failed to prevent the same spam and out of character behaviour by the usual suspects that had scuttled previous games, and ended after only three turns when the game moderators opted to overhaul the rules, leading to Imperium Offtopicum V Beta. Development Development of IOT5 began in June 2010 shortly after IOT4 was suspended for review; initial spitballing in the game thread was moved to a dedicated thread with the goal of creating a new ruleset based on community consensus to address longstanding problems since the first game. Primary issues were rampant spamming by problem players, "phony war" declarations and resolutions within a single turn, and still-unsettled combat mechanics. Taniciusfox's declaration that he would pursue his own sequel independent of the development thread sparked a minor fight over official succession that ended with both games continuing separate development. Following initial brainstorming, on June 23 suggestions were consolidated into a master list and voted on for inclusion in the final game, with a subsequent vote for the historical era. When further development stalled in mid-July, Omega124 tried to claim ownership of the game, modifying war mechanics but otherwise adopting the agreed rules. Joe retaliated by reasserting himself as project taskmaster and banning Omega, Domination3000 and Mad Man from the future game due to thread spam, although soon relented for Omega and Mad Man, and ultimately Dommy shortly before launch. taillesskangaru announced he would draft a preliminary ruleset and prepare a game map based on Hearts of Iron II, later Victoria II. A short debate on using real-world countries resolved in favour of the traditional "blank slate" start, with tailless dismissing subsequent complaints with "Historical accuracy be damned."https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/iot-developmental-thread.369094/page-55#post-9397626 The first draft rules were posted July 20 and adopted July 25, then amended to simplify economics, remove a flat gold costs to diplomacy, and waive an expansion penalty to American countries. Final rules were approved July 31 and responsibilities were delegated, with Joe serving as lead moderator, tailless overseeing economy and research, CivGeneral handling claims, and civplayah assisting in policing behaviour. Cull volunteered to manage combat after Lighthearter quit when his combat rules failed adoption. Following a final revision to the map, the game launched August 1. Post-launch staff change On August 11, Cull announced he was withdrawing from the game due to other commitments and Joecoolyo opened applications for a replacement War GM. Mathalamus applied but was almost immediately written off; Owen Glyndwr, ilduce349 and Omega124 also applied. Joe initially declared he would pick the successor by a random number guess, provoking outrage by several players, but ultimately arbitrated Owen. Gameplay IOTV began in 1453. Each turn represented four years, with suggestions the interval would be narrowed as the game progressed. Updates were scheduled for approximately every 48 hours; on Turn 2 this was mandated as a cut-off for claims and spending orders in order to help synchronize GM activity. Players joined by claiming ten territories in close proximity and designating a capital province; at game's start players could not traverse oceans. There were no real restrictions on countries save that they made sense for the time period. Later-joining players received the world average technology level. They could not claim additional territory or spend income the turn they joined. Players that would be temporarily absent could provide instructions for GM stewardship or designate their countries bona fide NPCs. Originally, players that opted to resign could partition their territory amongst other active players if they did not want to completely disband, while players absent longer than six days (~2 turns) would have their countries dissolved and partitioned at GM discretion; on Turn 3 this was abolished in favour of complete dissolution after player complaints over imbalance. Territory The game map was a modified provincial map from Victoria II, created by taillesskangaru, that was adopted in numerous future games. In addition to land provinces, it included sea and ocean zones to organize naval forces and initially restrict transoceanic travel. Each turn, players could claim up to six territories either contiguous with the capital or on a viable sea route. Countries with appropriate technology could claim over oceans at double cost. Additionally, players could use all six XP to claim a rival province to generate casus belli. Economy Each territory produced 1 gold per turn, with additional flat income from Civilian technology. Income could not be banked, and unspent funds were lost at the end of the turn. Embargoing a country reduced the target's income by 1%, rounded to the nearest whole number. Additionally, declaring war without a casus belli halved a country's income. Technology Each country began with 1 level in Civilian and Military Technology. Technology could be increased by gold investment, with each level costing 25x a player's current level. Civilian technology increased income by 1; military technology increased combat effectiveness by 1, and at Level 5 allowed ocean travel. Partial investment could be made that carried over into future turns. The first country to reach a new technology level had the right to name it. Diplomacy Diplomacy was largely freeform and non-binding, however defensive pacts, guarantees of independence, joining alliances, embargoes and declarations of war could only be done once per turn with a public statement in-thread. Agreements could be terminated at any time. Casus belli IOT5 was the first game to employ a casus belli system to curtail "lolwars" by penalizing unprovoked aggression. By default, countries had a valid pretext for war when * two countries claimed the same province; * an ally was attacked; * a country was embargoed or blockaded; * a country was preventing naval passage. Additionally, countries could justify a war goal against a rival with a substantially different government or religion, in consultation with the game moderator. Military Armed forces were tracked on the map. Units were divided into Armies and Fleets. Each unit cost 20x the standing force, with the first unit of each theatre levied free. Each unit incurred an upkeep of 2 gold/turn, and units were automatically disbanded if upkeep exceeded income. Each newly-recruited unit could be positioned anywhere in friendly territory, although armies were limited to 1 per province. Each turn, armies could move up to 10 spaces; sea travel cost a flat 1 point, oceans 2; fleets could reposition anywhere they had access to friendly ports. Combat Ground attacks cost one expansion point for each target, and could be supported by as many armies as the attacker could move to the province that turn. Every defending province automatically received 1 unit strength, and all units in or adjacent to the province not engaged in their own combat would contribute to the defence. Combat was resolved through RNG, with strength determined by number of units times military tech level, plus a random bonus of 0–50%. A defeated attacker lost all participating armies; a defeated defender only lost the army in the target province. Only one army occupied a captured province. Naval combat occurred when opposing fleets entered the same tile and resolved along similar rules. Armies in transit were considered defenceless transports and would automatically lose to hostile fleets if unescorted. Cancellation On August 12, Joe announced the suspension of the game to mend its rapidly deteriorating decorum, and overhaul several rules. Due to several players effectively ignoring the setting, a full restart in a new setting was approved in an 8–7 vote and discussion was moved back to the Development Thread. While previews of the new rules were posted and discussed, the game itself had effectively terminated as of August 18. See also * Imperium Offtopicum V Beta External links * IOT V game thread * Short-lived off-topic discussion thread Category:Co-moderated games Category:Renaissance games Category:IOT5